


normal people

by cardinal__sin



Series: the course of true love (never did run smooth) [1]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Bitterness, F/M, Guns, Light Angst, M/M, POV Jack, POV Third Person, Past Relationship(s), Pre-Relationship, Relationship Advice, These Are Not Good People, as in jack is agonising over being into tim, claptrap hate club 2k20, i fucking LOVE moxxi, jack is an idiot but we all know that, kinda soft jack, moxxi is not the best option for said advice, uh, why cant i tag my shit????
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:48:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25181251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cardinal__sin/pseuds/cardinal__sin
Summary: Jack is having a mild crisis, one could say. He wants advice, and only one person can provide that. That person may be quite reluctant, though.Or, Jack goes to Moxxi for help, which is a good indicator of just how much shit he's in.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Mad Moxxi (Borderlands) (past), Handsome Jack/Timothy Lawrence
Series: the course of true love (never did run smooth) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824283
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	normal people

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Raijin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raijin/gifts).



> this was written for a sentence prompt, "You’re a horrible liar. I’ve known you far too long to be able to tell."  
> hope you guys will like it :)

Jack walks off the ship with a hand on his gun and dread in his stomach. To be more precise, he assumes that the twisting feeling he has there is dread and not his lunch. The point is, he’s not loving the situation he’s in. He’s almost chickened out about five times just on the way and he’s well on the way to his sixth almost chickening out. He should not have come here.

It really would have been wiser to just call. Of course, he’s aware that the call would not have been answered, and, well, he’s in deep shit. He needs help. Now that he thinks about it, walking along the dirty streets, he probably could have found someone else. There’s no guarantee that help will come from here, but there’s a very high chance that he will get attacked – or killed – so a banger decision, altogether.

He swallows against his doubts and keeps walking. The scenery starts to become familiar, and so do the memories. It has been made clear that he was not to come back, unless of course he wants his brains blown out. Maybe he should turn back. Maybe.

On the other hand, though. He’s arrived.

The bar is mostly empty, which is a small relief. If he has to die, at least there won’t be an audience. Not very reassuring. He doesn’t feel like dying today. Jack sneers at the claptrap server just on principle. It’s the only other… entity in the whole room, which is quite unlucky, because that means that Jack needs to submit himself to talking to it and even getting information from it.

“I’m looking for Moxxi,” Jack tells the robot. He knows he won’t get an immediate answer and is in the process of familiarizing himself with the likelihood of being bored to death by a stupid robot, when a voice behind him calls out.

“Give me _one_ fucking reason I shouldn’t shoot you in the head right now.”

Oh, goodie.

“Hey, Mox,” Jack turns around with a charming smile and his arms raised in surrender, “I come in peace.”

“Bullshit,” Moxxi sneers, and walks closer, gun still pointed at Jack. It’s kinda hot. Moxxi has always been – well, not beautiful, but a commanding and powerful presence, and alright, credit where credit’s due, just really fucking sexy. And she’s pointing a gun at Jack in a very obviously serious manner and maybe it gets Jack going but that is not at all the point because Moxxi is definitely willing to kill him without further questions and even a bit of conscience involved.

“You have ten seconds to tell me what you want.” The click of the gun’s safety emphasises it, and Jack gulps against his (entirely justified) fear.

“I need your help,” he says. Short and sweet. Definitely convincing. Except…

Moxxi laughs. She laughs in his face like he’s told the funniest joke she’s ever heard. Not the reaction he’s expected, and he would be more at ease if the gun wasn’t still pointed at him, but as it is, he just appreciates that he’s not dead yet.

“Good one,” Moxxi gasps, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye, “but I’m not falling for it. You’re a horrible liar. I’ve known you far too long to be able to tell. I’m sure you can do better than that. What do you _really_ want?”

“I’m serious,” Jack says, and steps closer to her, slowly lowering his arms. “If you want me to grovel and beg for you, I will. This is a one-time offer. C’mon, Mox, you can’t hate me so much!”

“Oh, I can,” Moxxi drawls, but at least she puts away the gun. God, Jack’s always had a thing for that thigh holster.

“But I’ll make an exception. You seem desperate and I’m bored. Come, we’ll talk in my office.”

She leads the way. She doesn’t need to. Jack’s been there plenty of times to remember on muscle memory alone, but he humours her because he really needs her help and she definitely wasn’t joking about killing him.

Her office is still the same. Jack can’t say it’s more intimidating than his, but he’s not used to sitting on the other side of the desk, so it gets the point across. This is Moxxi’s space, and he should respect that and her. Surprisingly enough, he does. Moxxi has always been one to match his, well, everything, really. Maybe she’s a tad more trigger-happy, but Jack can’t blame her.

“So,” Moxxi starts. She leans forward in her chair, puts the gun on the desk in front of her so that it points at Jack.

“Why do you need my help? What is important enough for the great Handsome Jack to risk his life for?”

“I wouldn’t say risking my li –”

“I would. Spit it out, before I change my mind.”

Jack leans back in his chair. Now that he’s actually there he has no idea how or where to start. His plan was _visit Moxxi and don’t get_ _shot_ and now that he’s actually here he has no clue what to do or say. Even coming down here was an idea born out of momentary panic, a small crisis and his brain going “oh Moxxi will help” because Moxxi’s always helped because she’s smart and perfect and, well, Moxxi.

“I fucked up,” he starts finally, because that sounds simple enough. And it’s true. Moxxi seems to appreciate the truth.

“Why am I not surprised,” Moxxi sighs, but gestures for him to go on.

“You know I have a body double, right? I mean not one but – you’ve met him! Awkward kid, freckles all over, kind of an idiot but in a cute way?”

Moxxi frowns for a moment but then nods, hums in agreement.

“That’s Timmy. He’s a good kid. We, uh… I mean, I… So…”

“Jack, for fuck’s sake, just spit it out!” Moxxi yells at him, “You’re acting like a fucking schoolboy here, just say the words.”

“I fucked him.”

There. It’s out in the open. He prepares for Moxxi to laugh or to get mad or something, but she just sighs, with a sort of fond exasperation Jack’s almost missed since their relationship ended.

“Always knew you could get even more narcissistic than you already were,” she says, and she looks like she’s almost smiling, “but what’s the problem? Did he not want it? Did you pay him? Jack, if you paid that poor kid to sleep with you I’ll –”

“No, Mox, Jesus! I didn’t pay him. It’s worse.” Jack takes a deep breath. He’s never said this out loud, he’s nervous, he’s terrified. But he’s already here and has Moxxi’s attention so he should just fucking get it over with and –

“I think I’m in love with him.”

“Ah,” says Moxxi, and then nothing else. Her long nails are tapping on the table, an unsteady rhythm, matching Jack’s heartbeat. Her lips are pursed and she’s looking at Jack with a piercing gaze that feels like it’s burning him, and she says nothing.

They sit there like that for minutes. Jack’s leg is jiggling underneath the desk and he’s wringing his hands as discreetly as he can, which is really weird because he hasn’t done that in a while, because only _John_ had nervous tics like that. This whole clusterfuck of a conversation is killing him, but he doesn’t dare to speak. He’s all too aware of the gun on the desk, glinting at him cruelly.

“You know I can’t help you, right?” she asks finally, with a sad twist in the corner of her mouth. She looks like she’s actually sorry she can’t, and not like she’s turning him away. Moxxi doesn’t know what to do. Well, if that’s not a bad omen, nothing is.

“It’s flattering that you think that I could, but,” she looks him in the eye, “I’ve never loved anyone. Not even you, Jack.”

Well. That’s a punch to the gut and a half.

“I liked you, and I liked being with you, but I don’t do love. It never ends well.”

“That’s the positive outlook on life I needed, thanks, Mox.” Jack stands up from his chair. As much as he’s put things with Moxxi in the past, it still hurts somewhat to be told _I never loved you_. He wants to just go. Maybe Moxxi is right. Maybe he needs to forget about it, cut all ties with Tim, get rid of him – kill him? That sounds too extreme, even for him. He could send him to a mission that would get him killed for sure. That way it wouldn’t be on his conscience.

“Jack.”

“I know, I’m leaving,” Jack says, follows it with an awkward laugh to avoid showing even a fraction of his feelings. He’ll get back to Helios, get drunk and do more drugs than a person should be able to take without dying. And then drink a bit more. Sounds fun.

“Jack, stop.”

He does. Because Moxxi is still Moxxi and she has a power over Jack unlike anyone else. He turns back. She’s still sitting behind her desk, and for a moment Jack thinks _she looks like a queen_ , and wonders how much power Moxxi would have had if she were alive in the Middle Ages. The queen of hearts, the bloodthirsty empress… Maybe the only person in the whole fucking galaxy Jack respects.

“You could just tell him,” she offers, “like normal people.”

He’ll think about it on the way back. He will. He promises himself that, because if anything, seeing Moxxi made him certain that he wants Tim. Perfect, soft Tim, so much different from the gorgeous but ruthless Moxxi, from all his other exes. Tim is a momentary escape from his world, a vacation away from his hellish headspace that until knowing him only drugs could grant.

But Tim isn’t stupid. He sees through Jack, sees how rotten he is, how different they are, how Jack would only destroy him if he let Jack get a hold of him. He would be a fool to submit himself to an end like that out of his own volition, and Jack couldn’t blame him for it. Maybe it’s best if he never finds out. Maybe as long as he thinks Jack isn’t capable of human emotions, he is less disgusted by just how much of a monster Jack is.

“We’re not normal people, Mox,” he answers, a hand on the door handle. She gives her a sad smile in return.

“No, I suppose we’re not.”

  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! feel free to leave kudos, comments, or bookmarks, i always love hearing from my readers. if you prefer yelling at me in a different place, i can be found on tumblr, twitter and instagram under @cardinalxsin. come and yeet your thoughts at me!


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